Kindergarten Students Learn to Measure with Senior School Buddies

It’s always a special occasion when our Junior School students visit the Senior School campus for some hands-on learning, and that was especially true last week when the Kindergarteners paired up with some Grade 9 math students to learn about measurement.

The partners walked around campus visiting a variety of measurement stations and used scales, measuring cups, levels, trundle wheels, money, tire gauges and more to learn how to measure a variety of things.

“The goal was to have the Kindergarten students experiment with real-world measurement tools with the help of a Grade 9 buddy and to make real world connections with their learning,” says Ms. Lisa Mulvihill, Kindergarten Educational Assistant. “We wanted them to problem solve through experimentation with the measurement tools, see them cooperate well with their Grade 9 buddies and have a positive attitude towards learning.”

After completing each measurement station, students earned a sticker to put on their math crowns to show their learning progress. At the end of the day, the Kindergarten students received a math certificate and a Mathlete pin from their Grade 9 partner.

“The morning was so exciting for all and it was really fun to watch the interactions between Grade 9 students and Kindergarten students,” Lisa says. “They were so engaged in their learning and they worked cooperatively to learn more about measurement. The Kindergarteners looked like little math experts at the end of the morning with their math crowns filled with measurement stickers, and the Grade 9s looked so proud of their little buddies. What a wonderful day!”

Grade 9 Reflection

by Georgia Haydock

Last week, a few of the Grade 9 math classes got the chance to meet with the newest Kindergarten classes and I was lucky enough to be part of that group. The Kindergarten classes are learning measurement in math right now. They’re learning to understand words and concepts like heavier, bigger, shorter, etc. They’re also trying to learn how to incorporate these words into their everyday vocabularies.

On Friday they came up to the Senior School campus, each wearing their own math crown. The Grade 9 students were responsible for one or two Kindergartners, taking them around campus and introducing them to the school while simultaneously learning math. Approximately 12 activity stations had been set up by the teachers: we had to measure things such as the Kindergarten student’s height, weight, how loud they scream and their resting heart rate. The challenge was to help them complete as many as they could in order to earn their “Measurement Merit” badges. I know both my partner and I had great time walking around and doing all the challenges. We got quite a few stickers, if I do say so myself!

I was so happy to be doing the activities, I remember when I was in Kindergarten, how much I looked up to the Senior students and how daunting the older campus seemed to be. I really hope they enjoyed themselves as much as we did.

Kindergarten Reflections

Katherine: “I learned that when you go to a campus shop you can buy things there with money. I liked meeting our Grade 9 buddies.”

Jefferson: “I learned that some things are level and some things are not level by checking if the bubble was in the middle of the measurement tool or on one side. I also learned that the Senior School is a bigger school than our Junior School. The Senior School has a model of their school on a table, but we do not have a model of our Junior School. I enjoyed going on the school bus. I also enjoyed doing activities with my buddy.”

Mateo: “I learned that instead of using measuring tools you can use yourself to measure things, such as counting the number of steps as you go up the stairs. I liked going on the SMUS school bus. I liked the breeze coming in the driver’s window and how it almost blew my math headband off!”

Stephanie: “I learned how loud my scream is. It is 25 decibels. I really liked using the trundle wheel.”

Maho: “I learned how to check my heart by putting two fingers on my neck. My favourite part was measuring out the Rice Krispies.”

Dishanna: “I learned there is an app for a phone that can show you if something is crooked on the wall. I liked getting a blueberry granola bar and a mango drink.”

Isaac: “I learned that using a tire gauge you can measure how much air is inside a tire. I liked when I got a math certificate.”

Addie: “I learned you can use a phone to tell you how loud you can scream. I liked when my buddy measured my scream. Guess what? I scared all the Grade 9s!”

Liam: “I learned how fast I can run. You can time yourself with a timer on a phone. I can run 40 metres in nine seconds. I liked that I was so fast running on the big field!”

Brandon: “I learned how to measure how many cups of Rice Krispies are in a bowl. I liked when we got the badges for learning how to measure.”

Michaela: “I learned that you can’t put too much air in a tire and you can’t put too little air in a tire. I liked how the Grade 9 students timed us with their phone.”

Lisa: “I enjoyed putting Rice Krispies in the bowl. We used an apple that was plastic to pour them in a bowl. I learned how to measure the time and we found out we were late getting back!”

Amelia: “The thing I liked the most was paying for the snacks. I got a juice and a chocolate granola bar. I learned how much air was in the tire. There was a wheel with a clock-like thing and we put it into the tire and read it to see how much air was in the tire.”

Olivia: “I enjoyed when I got to pay to get the snacks. I bought a juice box. I liked seeing if something was crooked or not. I learned how to use the Grade 9’s phone – it sort of had a number on it and it could turn red or black to show if something was crooked.”

Alex: “I enjoyed when we had to run to where my buddy said and we measured how fast I was running. They used a clock to measure me running. I learned how to write smaller in the booklet when we found the answers.”

Liam: “I enjoyed the clock thing. You hold the clicker thing and it went click, click click. And we had to run all the way to the end. Matthew was the fastest. I learned how tall I was. We stood by a tree and we put our hand on our head and the grade 9 measured us.”

Matthew: “I enjoyed everything! Getting snacks might have been my favourite. My Grade 9 buddy gave me money! I thought we would be singing a scale on the stage and the audience would clap if we got it right. What I learned was how to run faster when we ran from one white line all the way to the other white line on the field.”

Jasper: “I enjoyed the running where I had to run very fast for 40 feet! I learned how to weigh myself with a weigher. I don’t remember how much I weighed.”

Hamish: “I enjoyed the money one. My Grade 9 buddy got to buy us stuff! I learned how to draw better because I drew the juice box I got.”

Manav: “I enjoyed taking my heart beat with my Grade 9 buddy in the Health Centre. I learned about the stairs if they are sideways or straight.”

Farrah: “I liked going to the campus shop. I liked that I got to pay for a granola bar and a juice. I learned how to do the rolling thing. It was like a number wheel with a red thing and you rolled it. I raced my buddy and Hamish.”

Sakura: “I enjoyed the math and the crown and the clip on my sweater. I learned how to measure Rice Krispies and we didn’t get to eat them!”